To Fly Like Birds | Regulus Black

Chapter 1

Welcome to Chapter 1!

Just so you know, my posting patterns are extremely irregular as at the moment, I've got exams, so please bear with that and I apologise for any inconveniences.

Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter :)

If there was one thing she loved about falling, it was the freedom it gave her.

Of course, there was the niggling fear that tickled the back of her mind and caught in her throat, whispering thoughts of how her wings would fail her and she would go plummeting to the ground, never to rise again. But it was like the fear was drowned out by the air roaring in her ears, and whisked away by the wind blowing over her entire body, instead replaced by the thrill of watching the ground rushing to meet her and the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

In that whirlwind of emotions, Quinn Walker found a sense of peace. It was as if all her worries and troubles were smothered by the air around her, washing her head clean and allowing her a chance to think. Sure, there was a serenity in just soaring above the clouds and surfing the winds, but there was a freedom in falling.

But, as the earth rose increasingly closer, the fear would spark once more, and unwelcome thoughts of crashing to the ground before her wings could save her crept into her mind.

And yet still, as Quinn unfolded her wings from her body, there was a moment of hesitation, before the wind surged beneath her, lifting her up from the nearing trees and propelling her over the top of the forest instead. As her body soared, so did her spirits, and she allowed a lilting caw to erupt from her beak that tumbled and danced in the wind, echoing across the landscape.

Leaning to the left, Quinn turned back on herself and gently beat her wings as she felt the wind slightly drop in strength beneath her. Sharpening her gaze, Quinn spotted her aunt's house nestled cosily on the side of the valley bottom, its faded orange walls sticking out like a sore thumb against the lushness of the grass surrounding it.

It was beautiful here; there was no doubt about it. It was one of the main things that really stood out to Quinn when she arrived in the Scottish Highlands two weeks ago.

In the pale winter sun, the mountain peaks were a celebration of greys, from sweet blue-slate to stark silver-white. Clumps of heather upon the highlands sat as regal cushions to cloud-softened light, and nearer the bottom of the valley, the rocks were carpeted with moss and grass too tough to bow to the cold touch of winter. Here, it was as if the landscape was trapped in time, unbothered by the howling gales and the powerful storms and the blinding sun and the burning wind.

She could easily see why her Aunt Jessie had decided to call this place home, even if it was pretty isolated.

But Quinn was not at that stage yet. Despite her aunt's best efforts to comfort her and make her feel welcome, it would be a long time before Quinn could even consider this place - beautiful as it is - to be her home. Even now, it felt more like a family visit than a permanent move, and she didn't think that would change any time soon, either.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her head, Quinn flapped her wings gently, circling above her aunt's house as she waited for the right wind current. When such a thing arrived, she chippered happily, then folded her wings into her feathered body and dived towards the ground.

And so she was falling again.

Down, down, down she plummeted. The wind once again roared in her ears and snatched away all her troubles, and Quinn could almost feel her heart sing with the thrill and adrenaline of the moment, and she cawed again - although it was lost to the wind.